Pope Francis to visit Auschwitz

Polish president says Pope Francis asked him in recent meeting for chance to pray for Holocaust victims at death camp next summer.

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Nissan Tzur, 10/11/15 22:12

Pope Francis

Uri Lenz/POOL/Flash 90

Polish President Andrzej Duda recently met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, and revealed that the pope asked to visit the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz and pray for the memory of the millions murdered in the Holocaust during his visit to Poland next summer.

"This is a cause of great joy for us, the possibility to host the pope in Poland. He asked to visit Auschwitz and to pray there for the memory of the victims," said Duda.

The president lauded Pope Francis as being an "extraordinary person, a calm man who transmits kindheartedness."

Pope Francis's predecessors also visited Auschwitz to pray for the victims of the Nazi death camps.

A statement from the Vatican issued the day of the meeting did not specifically address or confirm that the pope had asked to pray at Auschwitz.

It did note that the two discussed the situation in Ukraine where Russia occupied Crimea and is leading pro-Russian militias fighting the state, as well as the situation in the Middle East, and the resultant migrant crisis sweeping Europe.

Poland has agreed to take in a very small amount of Muslim migrants, and in recent months several massive protests have been held against letting the migrants into the state for fear of the deleterious effects the move may pose.